Andrew Learned is running for the District 15 seat in the U.S. Congress.

VALRICO – The largest progressive group of veterans in America, VoteVets Political Action Committee, has endorsed Andrew Learned for the U.S. House in Florida’s 15th Congressional District.

Florida’s 15th Congressional District is set to be one of the most competitive in the country and the support of groups like VoteVets shows the momentum and broad support that Andrew has earned for his bold progressive vision and compelling story, the organization said in a Learned for Congress campaign press release announcing the endorsement..

Three days into the Donald Trump presidency, Learned was serving in the Middle East when Trump ordered a mission into Southern Yemen that ended with the death of a US Navy SEAL.

“Mr. Trump acted recklessly by discussing the operation in an unclassified Mar-a-Lago ballroom and approving a high-risk mission, endangering American soldiers and Yemeni civilians, so I decided I had to act,” Learned said.

Within days of returning home, Learned said he filed to run for Congress to continue to serve his country by bringing a progressive voice to Washington and to fight for a better future for Floridians living along the I-4 corridor.

“Tampa has a chance to send a new generation of leadership, and true patriotic public servant, to the United States Congress, to stand up for Tampa’s working families,” said Army Veteran Jerry Green, Florida Outreach Director for VoteVets. “Right now, more than anything, we need someone in Congress who always thinks of others, before him or herself, and someone who is ready to put it all on the line, for us. That’s Andrew Learned. We’re proud to endorse him.”

Founded in 2006, the mission of VoteVets.org PAC is to elect veterans to public office, with a focus on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and hold public officials accountable for their words and actions that impact America’s 21st Century troops and veterans.

“I am so proud to have the support of VoteVets. Standing up for our healthcare, veterans, and progressive values is more important now than ever,” Learned said. “This election is critical to protecting our democratic institutions and promoting progressive values. Alongside VoteVets, I am ready to bring forward the voices of veterans to put country over party and combat the challenges our nation is facing head-on.”

In addition to national progressive groups like VoteVets and Indivisible, Leaarned has received local endorsements from U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa; Indivisible East Hillsborough; Indivisible Lakeland; the Florida Democratic Progressive Caucus; LGBTA Caucus; and Environmental Caucus; and Our Revolution Tampa Bay. Learned’s campaign said this support is a sign of the grassroots strength that he has earned and how competitive the 15th District, which is rated a toss-up by the Wason Center for Public Policy, will be in November.

Since entering the race last year, Learned has received more than 2,400 grassroots contributions, which his campaign said is more than 5 times as many as his opponents — Democratic and Republican — have reported combined.

“We’ve been working hard for over a year to flip this seat in November. We’ve already forced Dennis Ross into an early retirement — now I’m excited to take on and defeat every candidate who thinks they can defeat our grassroots army with piles of special interest money,” Learned said. “The people of the 15th Congressional District are ready for a new generation of leadership, and I am proud to represent them by bringing bold, progressive values and ideas to Washington.”

Learned served nine years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, including three Middle East deployments, and is currently a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve. He is the owner of a neighborhood learning center and lives in Brandon.

Learned is running for Florida’s 15th Congressional District seat, which is held by Republican Dennis Ross who is not seeking reelection. Learned is one of three Democrats in the upcoming primary. The other two are Kristen Carlson and Raymond “Ray” Pena.

The 15th CD includes portions of Hillsborough, Polk and Lake counties.

The primary is Aug. 28. The general election is Nov. 6. Voters have until July 30 to register or change their party affiliation to vote in the Aug. 28 primary.

For information about Learned, go to andrewlearned.com.

Andrew Learned | VoteVets | Politics | Elections | Tampabay News

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